1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an industrial truck, in particular a counterweighted fork lift truck, with a compartment for an energy supply unit. The compartment has a lateral opening for change or replacement of the energy supply unit. A retaining apparatus is provided for fixing the energy supply unit in position in the lateral direction. A contacting device is provided for the electrical connection of the energy supply unit with the industrial truck.
2. Technical Considerations
Electrically operated industrial trucks in the form of counterweighted fork lift trucks have a chassis with a compartment for an energy supply unit with a lateral opening for the change or replacement of the energy supply unit. This makes it possible to change or replace the energy supply unit in the horizontal direction through the lateral opening. For safety reasons, it is necessary to secure the energy supply unit in the lateral direction during operation of the industrial truck to prevent undesirable movements of the energy supply unit in the lateral direction and to prevent the energy supply unit from falling out of the industrial truck during operation or in accident situations.
DE 103 46 550 A1 describes a fork lift truck having a door that closes the lateral opening and simultaneously secures the energy supply unit in the lateral direction. A door of this type, however, requires a great deal of construction effort.
DE 10 2005 007 584 A1 describes a fork lift truck having a retaining apparatus located on the compartment of the energy supply unit that can be pivoted between a retaining position and a removal position. The retaining apparatus is located in the vicinity of a base plate of the compartment and interacts with the lower edge of the energy supply unit. A retaining apparatus of this type requires a high construction effort, however, and the pivoting of the retaining apparatus also requires the operator to be in a bent-over position.
For change or replacement of the energy supply unit, a hood that closes the compartment on top must generally be removed and the retaining apparatus must be actuated into a removal position. It is also necessary to disconnect a contacting apparatus for the electrical connection of the energy supply unit with the industrial truck and to remove a vehicle-side coupling element of the contacting apparatus, which can be located loosely on one end of the cable, for example, by moving or swinging the vehicle-side coupling element out of the way.
A number of time-consuming working steps are therefore necessary for the change or replacement of the energy supply unit. Mistakes can also be made during these operations. For example, after the insertion of an energy supply unit into the compartment, the contacting apparatus may be connected although the retaining apparatus is not pivoted into the retaining position. As a result of which, the energy supply unit can fall out during the operation of the industrial truck.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an industrial truck of the general type described above but in which a fast, easy and ergonomically efficient change or replacement of the energy supply unit is possible and in which the risk of operator error is also minimized.